It had been about a week since Hal had passed out after the attack. He didn't know what had happened. He was fine, according to Dr. Glass, with the exception of the slow-healing gash on his cheek. The Skitter had obviously meant to breathe into the wound on Hal's face, but he wasn't sure why. He had had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach since it had happened, though.
Hal and Ben were out on a scouting mission together, wandering through the lifeless forest. Ben stopped walking and cocked his head, listening. Hal immediately froze and fingered the trigger of the gun in his hands. "Skitters?" He breathed. Ben paused before answering. "No. Deer, actually." He smiled at Hal. "Scared?" Ben asked, half chuckling. Hal loosened his body frame and chuckled. "Not as much as you'll be if you don't shut your mouth."
They continued on their way silently. Hal focused on the sound of the dead leaves crunching under his feet. It was his favorite sound. He and his father used to go camping in woods similar to these when he was young, and the hike to the campsite was always his favorite part because of the sound of the crunching leaves.
After a few minutes Hal and Ben sat under a tree and rested, drinking water slowly from their canteens. It was a gloomy day, thick, pale grey clouds hazing the sky from every angle.
"What do you think Mom would say, if she could see us now?" Hal asked quietly. Ben glanced at Hal from the corner of his eyes. "What do you mean?" He asked tentatively. "What do you think she'd say? Us using guns and riding motorcycles, blowing up entire buildings and killing anything that poses danger to us. What do you think she'd say if she could see it?"
Ben was silent for a moment, thinking. "What makes you think she can't see us?" Hal chuckled somewhat darkly. "What? You think she watches over us from heaven, somehow guiding us? No. She's gone, Ben. Mom's just a memory now. She's not real anymore." Hal took a swig of water and wiped his mouth, leaning back against the tree.
Ben watched his brother, feeling his heart sink a little. It was hard for Ben to hold on to any sort of hope, especially after having been taken by those beasts. But he had managed to do it, mostly because his big brother had always seemed so confident, so optimistic. But Hal was starting to change. He was more reserved now, and Ben could see an extraordinary amount of pain in his eyes. He knew what Hal had been through, knew he had seen something that he couldn't ever un-see. But if Hal was starting to lose hope, how was Ben NOT supposed to?
"I think she'd be proud." Ben whispered.
Hal and Ben returned from their scouting mission and went in opposite directions without a word. They had both been silent since their conversation under the tree. Hal stalked toward the tents, wanting to catch a few minutes of sleep before guard duty with Anthony and Dai.
"Hal!" He turned at smiled at a mildly dirty Maggie. "Hal. Tector just got back from town. He said an entire army of mechs came at them from every angle. He and a few others managed to escape, but your dad was separated. Last they saw he and Anthony were leading the mechs away from camp, towards an abandoned school and told him to come back for help."
Hal's heart leaped into his throat. "Shit." He dashed for his bike at the end of the campsite, Maggie trailing behind him. He and Maggie started up their bikes and were ready to head out with Tector and a few others when Matt ran up to Hal, a semi-automatic in his hands.
"Matt, no. Not this time." Hal said sternly. Matt pursed his lips and tightened his grip on the gun. "I'm old enough to hold the gun, I'm old enough to shoot it. He's my dad, too, Hal." Tector began to lead the others out toward town, the air vibrating from the bikes' vicious rumbles.
Severely pressed for time and eager for as much help as possible, Hal nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But you follow every order I give you, whether you like it or not. Got it?" Matt smiled brightly and nodded fast. "Got it." He quickly hopped on the back of Hal's bike and wrapped his small arms tightly around his brother's waist.
Maggie smiled. "Pushover." She said sarcastically. Hal smirked and kicked the bike into action. The three of them sped off, catching up with the others, prepared for the fight of their lives.
The ride to town was taking longer than Hal had remembered it. They had separated into groups of two, hoping a rounded attack would be more effective. He could feel Matt's tight grip on his waist, how rigid and tense his body was. He knew his baby brother was frightened, and Hal was starting to regret letting him tag along.
Maggie was riding along next to him, wearing her battle face proudly. "This is gonna be one hell of a fight!" He shouted at her. She glanced at him and chuckled. "Getting a little scared, Mason?" Hal looked back at the road, smiling. "Nah! Just making sure you'll be able to handle yourself! If not, though, I'd be more than happy to!" She didn't say anything, but he saw a reluctant smile play across her lips at his comment.
Suddenly, an explosion lit up the road in front of them. Mechs and Skitters began to surround the area. Hal and Maggie swerved furiously, barely hanging on to their bikes. Matt clung desperately to his brother's waist, crying out as they nearly crashed.
They managed to avoid riding into the flames, but as they were coming to a stop and preparing for battle, another explosion went off behind them, shaking the ground angrily. Hal quickly scanned the area for any safe hideout and he spotted a half-torn down house about a hundred yards away.
Hal revved his bike and met Maggie's eyes, flicking them towards the house. She gave a slight nod and spun off without any warning. Hal was right on her tail. "Matt, hold on tight! And don't look back! Got it?" "Got it!" Matt yelled, tightening his grip and burying his face in Hal's back.
Maggie flew through the house's blown out doorway with ease and grace. Hal sighed in relief when she was inside, happy that she had at least some form of shelter.
As Hal's tires ripped through the mud in the front yard of the house, there was a huge explosion of mech fire about ten feet to his right. The explosion lifted Hal's tires and flung them through the air furiously. Hal managed to grab an already unconscious Matt before they burst through the rotten wood of the house, clinging his brother tightly to his chest as he crashed.
Hal landed on a bed of glass and shredded wood, feeling something dig deeply into the side of his rib cage. He managed to shield Matt from the harsh landing. He was still clinging to Matt when Maggie ran over and helped him struggle to his feet. Hal threw Matt over his shoulder and ran with Maggie to shelter in the basement of the home, ignoring the sharp pain in his side and the warm flow of blood pulsing down his waist with each footstep.
They managed to reach the basement and lock themselves in as another explosion shook the house. Hal collapsed against a stone wall, panting and coughing while he fought to catch his breath. He pulled Matt onto his lap and held him tightly, praying he would be fine. He was breathing, so Hal relaxed a little. Maggie fell next to him, breathing heavily and gripping her semi like she'd float away if she let go.
Another explosion shook above them, knocking dirt on their heads from the ceiling. "Got any ideas?" Maggie asked, still a little out of breath. Hal felt the pain in his side escalate when he turned to look at Maggie. He winced and put a shaky hand to the wound, feeling a thick piece of wood sticking out through his shirt.
Maggie noticed him wince and her eyes quickly shot to the hand he had pressed to his side. "Hal, you're hurt." She whispered frantically, scrambling to her feet to get a better look.
Hal felt warm blood ooze through his fingers as he breathed in too fast. "I know." He mumbled. "The wood's still in. Not sure how deep." He coughed as more dirt fell from the ceiling and settled around him.
Maggie fell to her knees and pulled Hal's shirt up, examining the wound. He noticed how pale her face was, how her eyes were practically twitching with fear. "I don't think it's in too deep..." She thought out loud. She looked up at him. "Hal, I have to take it out." Hal swallowed and nodded. "Then do it." He said, his voice a lot stronger than he thought it would be.
She drew in a shaky breath and wrapped her fingers around the tip of the shard. "You ready?" She asked hesitantly. Hal nodded. "Okay. Remember to keep breathing, even when you don't think you can. You're going to have to keep breathing."
Maggie started out slow, tugging it out gently. Hal gritted his teeth, but the pain was fairly mild. She applied more force to her tugging to speed the process up a bit. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, tightening his grip on Matt's still limp body. He could feel the shard ripping agonizingly through his body, and he wasn't able to suppress a scream of pain.
Maggie finally pulled the whole piece out. She let out a long, hard breath. She threw the wood across the room as Hal slid weakly on his side, Matt falling off his lap. Maggie got up and strode across the room, searching frantically for something. Hal started to feel very lightheaded and tired. He barely registered the explosion that went off directly above their heads, or the giant pieces of ceiling that began to fall around them.
"Maggie.." Hal breathed quietly. "Maggie..." He managed a weak croak. She grabbed what appeared to be a shredded linen towel and she rushed back to Hal's side.
She pressed the towel tightly to Hal's pulsing wound and helped him into a sitting position. She stood up and scanned the room for something to clean his wound with. Another explosion rocked the house. The ceiling and walls became very unsteady and started to cave in. "Maggie, get down!" He managed to yell, weakly tossing himself on top of Matt's body as the room collapsed on top of them.
"Hal?" Hal opened his eyes. That voice, he thought. I know it. But from where? Hal sat up slowly. He couldn't see anything where he was. It was completely dark. But he smelled a beautiful, familiar scent. It smelled almost like wisteria. His mother always smelled like wisteria.
Hal's heart nearly jumped into his throat. He leaped to his feet so fast he nearly passed out. "Mom?" He asked frantically. He waited for a moment, his heart pounding in his chest from the thought of seeing his dead mother once again.
Rebecca Mason slowly emerged from the darkness, her face lighting up magically. Hal let a small, childlike whimper escape his chest. "Mom." He said, his voice cracking.
His mother smiled softly, her face warm and comforting. She put a hand to her eldest son's cheek and wiped away a tear that was escaping his eye.
Rebecca chuckled a little. "You've gotten so tall, just like your dad." She smiled gently. Hal looked at her, struggling to keep himself composed. He tried to speak, but he couldn't. He just looked at her, unable to believe his eyes.
"I've missed you so much, Hal. You've grown into such an amazing man. You're so strong, so determined. You always have been, since you were a boy."
Hal looked at his mother, his eyes burning from holding back tears. He finally forced himself to speak. "I'm so sorry, Mom. That I didn't find you in time. If I had left a little earlier that morning, maybe I could have saved you. Now you're gone, and Matt has to grow up without a mom, and Dad hurts so much with you gone, and it's all my fault..."
Rebecca pulled Hal close to her, holding him tightly, like she did when he was small and had night terrors. "Hush, my child. Do not blame yourself for anything that happened. Not even for a second. You did everything you could. It was my time, sweetheart. There was nothing to be done."
Rebecca pulled back and looked at Hal's pained face, tears streaking through the dirt on his cheeks. She spoke with intensity, her eyes boring into his. "Hal, I need you to listen to me. The 2nd Mass is in danger. Something is about to happen, baby, something big and dangerous."
Hal felt his blood run cold. "What do you mean?" Hal asked her, his voice cautious and tense.
"Something in you is about to change, Hal. You're going to have to fight it, fight with everything you have. Do you understand me? You have to fight this. It's going to take everything you have."
"What? Mom, what's going to change in me?" Hal questioned her, panic rising in his chest.
"You have to fight it, Hal. I know you can. I know you can beat it." Rebecca leaned in and kissed his forehead gently, and then she was gone.
"Mom!" Hal reached his hand out, hoping to catch her before she left. But he couldn't find her. He let out a choked sigh and fell to his knees. What had she been trying to warn him of? He tried to figure it out, but he couldn't think. Because he had just lost his mother all over again.